Canada looks to transform diplomatic buildings in London into ‘showcase’

A planned $16-million makeover of historic Canada House in downtown London — just one part of a multi-pronged plan to consolidate the Canadian government’s key diplomatic holdings in the British capital in the coming months — would see the country’s High Commission to the U.K. transformed into a “showcase” for Canadian artwork, business savvy and “values.”

The plan is detailed in hundreds of pages of specifications issued last week through a public tender that invites architectural firms to bid on the huge renovation project. The ambitious revamp of Canada House, scheduled to begin next month, is bound up with the expected $500-million sale of Macdonald House on upscale Grosvenor Square — currently the primary workspace for more than 200 Canadian diplomats in Britain — and Canada’s recent $100-million acquisition of 2-4 Cockspur Street, a large, 1920s-era office building conveniently located next door to the 190-year-old Canada House.

The Cockspur address “is also of historic importance to Canada,” the High Commission noted last month at its website, referring to the building’s original owner — the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada — and the site’s use as the Canadian army’s overseas headquarters during the Second World War.

“As the primary physical symbol of Canada in the U.K., Canada House needs to be a modern, green, efficient building that reflects Canadian values,” the tender document states. “Canada House must project these values through its infrastructure and design while balancing intelligent security with welcoming public access.”

A new official residence for the Canadian High Commissioner in London, the post currently held by former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, is expected to be purchased at a separate location near Canada House once Macdonald House — which currently accommodates the top diplomat’s living quarters — is sold.

The Canadian government’s come-on to would-be designers of an upgraded Canada House and newly integrated Cockspur property emphasizes the importance of bringing experience in high-profile heritage restoration work to the job. And the contract offer uses language ranging from bold expressions of Canada’s “cutting edge society” and “distinct voice” in global affairs to bone-dry specs on plumbing fixtures and electrical infrastructure.

There’s also a comprehensive rundown of the security requirements at the High Commission compound, including “bullet-resistant” windows, “blast-resistant” walls and other defensive features.

A perimeter fence, for example, “should not facilitate climbing by providing foot or hand holds. In this respect, any plinths shall be sloped at a minimum of 45 degrees toward the attack side.”

At the same time, the document stipulates that London city officials should be consulted early about the “permitting process to allow provincial coats of arms to be integrated into the existing fencing.

“Symbols of Canada, the Canadian flag and the Coat-of-Arms, must be prominently displayed on both Canada House and 2-4 Cockspur as part of the integrated design proposal in order to accentuate the unity of the new chancery.”

The vision of an expanded and modernized Canada House, aimed at making the Greek Revival building on famed Trafalgar Square an enhanced platform for promoting Canada on the world stage, would exploit London’s status as “an undeniable hub” of political influence, commerce and culture to help “project” this country’s ideas internationally.

“In the current global political-economic environment, and thanks to Canadian leadership in new communication technologies and low-carbon green design, art and culture, the new Canada House can become a window on contemporary Canada and a privileged location from which to promote Canadian values and interests, making Canada’s voice heard in the United Kingdom, in Europe and beyond,” an executive summary states.

“A 21st-century vision for Canada House must be built on the achievements and lessons learned in recent years, and on recognition of the important personal and diplomatic role that Canada House has played in the lives of Canadians in the United Kingdom,” the document adds. “There is symbolic significance in the integration of the chancery in Canada House and 2-4 Cockspur as it represents the long term vision of the Government of Canada ‘for a truly Canadian building’ where all Canadian government activities would be accommodated under a single roof.”

The prospectus also asserts that “decisions taken in London have global impact,” adding: “By virtue of the profound historical links between the United Kingdom and Canada, and thanks to the vision of Canadian forebears, Canada possesses an invaluable asset in Canada House and 2-4 Cockspur that provides a competitive advantage not only in the heart of this world capital but also in Europe.”

The Conservative government’s intention to overhaul Canada’s real estate portfolio in Britain first came into focus in 2008, when Postmedia News reported plans to sell Macdonald House in a bid that federal officials said would “unlock the value” of the historic Mayfair mansion and “improve operational efficiencies” overall at the High Commission.

The proposed sale of Macdonald House was evidently delayed several years as Britain — and many potential buyers of the enormously valuable Canadian property — struggled to recover from the global economic meltdown of five years ago, which continues to rattle many European nations. But a spokesman from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade told Postmedia this week that “DFAIT will shortly be publicly marketing the property for sale.”

The expected windfall from the Macdonald House sale would more than offset the purchase of 2-4 Cockspur — only recently finalized by Canadian officials — as well the refurbishment of Canada House, the construction of physical links to the Cockspur building and the acquisition of a new high commissioner’s residence.

The consolidation of virtually all diplomatic activities at the Trafalgar Square location should result in the creation of “a virtual window to promote Canadian identity in all its dimensions (innovation, technology, culture),” the tender document states.

The redesigned Canada House and its new, adjacent office complex would play a crucial role in branding the nation as an intellectual, commercial, artistic and environmental dynamo, according to the plan. It’s envisioned as a place that would simultaneously serve as “a great place to work for all High Commission employees,” showcase made-in-Canada energy-saving products, provide “a canvas for demonstrating green roof technologies,” and operate as a kind of conference centre for cultural, academic and business gatherings.

“The modern face of Canada can be projected by displaying examples of high quality art within the chancery workplace and in the public and representational spaces,” including “some examples of historical works,” but favouring “contemporary work by living Canadian artists.”

Canadian companies would also be encouraged, it seems, to exploit the diplomatic mission’s grandeur to help strike profitable deals: “Canada House multi-purpose space should maximize opportunities for use by the Canada Plus Strategy – providing Canadian business visitors with space to meet clients, to organize seminars (and) to launch and to promote products.”

Even the “cost-effective office furniture” at Canada House would be pressed into service as part of a nationalist marketing strategy to “showcase Canadian excellence in interior design, art and architecture.”

The prospectus underlines the need to maximize “inclusiveness” at Canada House by designing ramps, elevators and other accessibility-enhancing features, and to plan for the workaday functions of a busy public service centre handling hundreds of passport, visa and other visitors’ inquiries every week.

At the same time, according to the government’s official pitch to prospective architects, the remodeling of Canada House should “highlight Canada’s products and place in the United Kingdom both historically and in the 21st century. . . . Highly modern components should complement the heritage features of Canada House and 2-4 Cockspur to create an interlaced reflection of Canada’s shared history with the United Kingdom.”